901Voices gives an ordinary Memphis memory a place in the record
The library's oral-history program welcomes local recollections, with advance reservations and a focused forty-five-minute interview.
Image: AI-generated illustrative photograph of generic oral-history materials; not a 901Voices interview, library equipment or a participant's family photographs.
A neighborhood shop, a first job or a family tradition can hold details that never make a headline. Memphis Public Libraries' 901Voices collects oral histories, reminiscences and family stories to strengthen the historical record of Memphis and Shelby County.
The recording room is in the fourth-floor History Department at Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library. Reservations must be made at least a week ahead so staff can be available. Sessions are limited to forty-five minutes, with space for two interviewees and one interviewer; release forms are reviewed and signed before recording.
A useful preparation is a small timeline and a few open questions. Ask what a place looked like, how a routine worked and who else was present. Let a speaker distinguish something personally remembered from a story heard later. Uncertainty can be part of an honest record.
Listen to earlier interviews in the digital collection before deciding what to contribute. The booth is reserved for oral-history work, and current booking arrangements should be confirmed with the History Reference Desk at 901-415-2742. One focused recollection can be easier to preserve and understand than an attempt to tell an entire life in a single session.
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